Nothing In This World
by xSassyJane
Summary: A trip home to Albuquerque changes Troy's life. For the ZAAngels Write Off Challenge! Read and Review! Vote Please!
1. Chapter 1

Hello again!! FIFTH entry for the ZAAngels Challenge! My wonderful friend Sandy reeeeeeeeeally helped me with this so I am happy with it! Voting opens on the 27th I think but I'll post the info as usual. Please read and review!!!!!!

**Nothing In This World.**

"Nat, who are we going to visit?" Troy Bolton asked his three year old daughter as he drove away from the airport. Troy, his wife Gabriella, their daughter Natalia and son Bradin were in their hometown of Albuquerque for the Fourth of July.

"Gamma!" Nat shouted excitedly, her hands clapping against her small legs. Gabriella told her she was going to see her grandpa too but Natalia didn't have that in her vocabulary yet. Gabriella's mother was stuck in New York working so this year it was just the Boltons.

Bradin, at one year old, was set on copying everything his sister did and proceeded to scream gibberish. Gabriella giggled at her sons attempt at speaking and reached her hand back to tickle his tiny foot.

"Are you excited too bud?" Troy added, peeking at him through the rear view mirror. He got no response as Bradin looked out the window at the foreign land. It was the first time they had travelled to Albuquerque since Bradin was born, their parents choosing to visit them in Sacramento for most holidays and occasions.

Troy was looking forward to seeing his mom, he hadn't seen her since Natalia's birthday four months ago. His dad... not so much. Troy and his father hadn't been on great terms since Troy decided against playing basketball professionally. Now every time he sees his dad, they barely say more than a few words to each other. Troy sighed at the thought of spending four days with him. Gabriella picked up on the sigh and reached her hand over to link with his. He glanced at her and squeezed her fingers gently before focusing on the road. For the rest of the short drive, they listened to Natalia babble on and on.

Troy pulled into his old driveway and beeped the car horn to alert his mother of their arrival. As they climbed out of the car, his mother came out to greet them.

"Hello sweetheart." She said affectionately as she hugged him.

"Hey ma." He returned the hug before going over to the trunk to get their belongings.

Gabriella got Natalia out of the car first and let her run to her grandmother then Bradin. Gabriella carried her son over to her mother-in-law. "Hi Lucy." She gave her a quick half hug.

"Gamma, we go 'side now." Natalia grabbed Lucille's hand and tried to drag her inside the house.

"Okay, come on. Grandma might have some cookies waiting." Natalia's bright blue eyes shone and she ran as fast as her little legs could take her inside. "Troy, do you need some help bringing in your things?" She asked from the door.

"No I'm good, I'll be in in a minute."

Once Troy had deposited all the luggage and toys into his old bedroom, he wandered into the kitchen to see his daughter sitting on the counter top beside a plate of cookies and his mother, wife and son sitting at the table, a cookie in front of each of them. "There better be cookies left for me or there's gonna be trouble." He said jokingly as he picked his daughter up and tickled her senselessly. She giggled hysterically, begging him to put her down between breaths. He stopped after a few minutes but kept her in his arms, kissing her dark, curly locks.

Natalia reached for a cookie and held it up to Troy. "You have cookie. One." He grinned and accepted it before he placed her back down on the counter. He stood beside her and joined the conversation between Lucille and Gabriella.

"So what's the plan for the weekend?"

"Well I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight. Where do you guys feel like eating?"

"I was talking to Taylor and she was telling me about this new Italian restaurant, it sounded fabulous and she said she'd come home just to go there. If Taylor is willing to get on a plane for a restaurant, it has to be good!" Gabriella said as she sipped her coffee.

"Troy go get your father, he's in his office."

Troy nodded and sighed as he walked down the hallway to his dad's office. The door was open a crack and Troy could hear him talking.

"_She found out about me and Brandi a few weeks ago. We're gonna tell Troy about the divorce this weekend."_

Troy was dumbstruck. His parents were getting divorced?

"_I should go Charlie. Troy and Gabriella are here. See you on Sunday."_

Troy knocked on the door. "Dad? Mom wants you in the kitchen."

"Troy! Em... how long were you out there?"

"We got here like twenty minutes ago. Mom just sent me to get you. We're talking about dinner." Troy lied. His face kept calm but his mind was swirling.

"Ok... I'll be out in a minute."

Troy nodded and strolled back to the kitchen. He sat down beside Gabriella with a blank expression on his face.

"Da!" Bradin yelled from his mother's lap, his pudgy hands reaching for Troy. Troy couldn't help but smile at him and accepted him from Gabriella. Jack walked into the kitchen and Troy kept his focus on Bradin. Everyone else discussed dinner plans while Troy continued to amuse Bradin.

"So Italian then?" His mother said after a ten minute conversation. Troy just nodded silently. "Great. We should leave in a while, I'm sure you're all tired, especially the kids. Let's say we'll leave at 7?"

Gabriella agreed and stood up to wrestle Natalia away from her cookies. "You can have some more tomorrow." She popped her off the counter and pushed her towards Troy's ground floor room. "Troy, will you give them a bath so I can have a shower?"

"No problem. Let's go buddy."

"There are towels on your bed Troy." Lucille notified him before he left the kitchen.

"Thanks ma. See you at 7!" He walked into his bedroom and saw Gabriella sifting through their suitcases for clothes. "Will you take something out for me while I get these guys started?" He picked Natalia up with one hand and tickled her side gently to hear her laugh.

Gabriella nodded and pulled out jeans and a shirt for him and threw them in the general direction of his bed, along with clothes for the kids.

A few minutes later, Gabriella walked into the bathroom to have a shower. Natalia was playing with a bath toy while Troy washed Bradin. "Why were you so quiet in the kitchen?" She asked as she turned on the shower.

"Huh? Oh, just tired. The flight kinda snuck up on me a while ago. I just want to sleep now."

Gabriella looked at him, unconvinced. "Your dad didn't say anything to you did he?"

"No, he didn't. Just tired, Brie. Just like Bradin here." Bradin yawned as if on cue causing Troy to grin at his wife.

"Alright. Don't take too long, you need to have a shower too." With that, Gabriella jumped in the shower, leaving Troy to get the kids washed and dried. Forty minutes later, they were all getting into cars and heading to Romano's.

They met at the restaurant and let Lucille lead the way. Troy noticed his parents didn't hold hands or link arms. They walked with a distance between them. They were greeted as they entered the restaurant and promptly led to a table. They were seated, along with booster seats for Natalia and Bradin.

"Hi there, can I get you anything to drink?" The server asked, a kind smile on his face. Everyone asked for their separate drinks.

Troy scanned his menu quickly, not really in the mood for a big meal. Once he made his decision, he looked at the kids menu. "Nat, do you want some mac and cheese?" She nodded without looking at him, her focus on the coloring sheet. Troy turned his head to Gabriella. "You picked?"

Gabriella nodded slowly before raising her eyes to Troy's. "Yup. Think so. You?" Troy nodded at her and reached for her hand under the table. She smiled at him lovingly and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly in hers.

After placing their orders, conversation began. Troy wasn't paying much attention. He knew they were talking about Gabriella's job as a biology teacher. She was telling them funny stories she'd already told him.

"How's your work Troy?" Lucille asked as their main course was put in front of them a while later.

Troy looked up from his spaghetti and meatballs to answer his mother. "Oh you know, suing people, settling divorces. Nothing crazy." He noticed his mom tense when he mentioned divorce but his father remained emotionless, texting on his phone. "Dad who are you texting? Mom never let me have my phone out at the table."

"None of your business Troy."

Troy's nostrils flared with anger. "Is it Brandi?"

Lucille and Jack looked at him in shock, Gabriella in confusion. "Troy how do you know about that?" Jack asked angrily.

"The same way I found out my parents are getting divorced. I heard you on the phone to Charlie. When were you guys going to tell me?"

"Troy, we were going to tell you..." Lucille began, her voice weak and slow.

"Mom I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at him."

"Excuse me Troy, I'm your father, I deserve some respect." Jack slammed his fist against the table, scaring Natalia and Bradin and drawing momentary attention to their table.

"No you don't. You deserve nothing for what you did. I want nothing to do with you." Troy shoved his chair back and stood up. He turned to his frightened children and scooped them up. "I won't do to them what you did to me." He said, fuming at his father's self-importance. "Sorry mom. Brie we're leaving." He stormed to the door, other families watching the scene unfold. Gabriella looked at Lucille apologetically. "Gabriella!" Troy shouted, disrupting the entire restaurant. Gabriella quickly stood up and ran after him, apologizing to the waiter as she passed.

By the time Gabriella reached the parking lot, Troy was bundling Natalia into the car. She walked over to him as he shut the door and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't. Just... let's just get our stuff and go to a hotel."

Gabriella mumbled an agreement and got in the car. The ride to his house was silent and uncomfortable. Gabriella spent most of it trying to calm down a scared Natalia. Troy parked the car, hoping his parents wouldn't show up before they could leave. They had four days in Albuquerque and he would see his mom again but he wanted to be as far away from his dad as possible. He and Gabriella climbed out of the car without speaking and took a child each. Bradin had fallen asleep on the drive home so Gabriella placed him in the middle of the bed. Troy put a now relaxed Natalia down beside him and handed her one of her picture books to keep her occupied. Gabriella was already packing when Troy began.

"You didn't need to yell Troy. The whole restaurant was staring at us. This is a small town you know."

Troy sighed. "I know Brie, I know. It's not like they know what we were talking about. Plus they'll all know about my parents sooner or later." He said as he threw the clothes he had earlier unpacked back into the suitcase.

"Who's Brandi Troy?" Gabriella said to his back as she picked up the toys Natalia had thrown around in the short time they were even in the bedroom. She saw him stiffen as soon as she mentioned the name.

"She's my dad's girlfriend. That is all I know. But it must have been more than a fling if he's still texting her." Gabriella dropped the toys into the nearest bag to her before walking over to her husband. She lay her hand against his shoulder blade and rubbed soothingly. She heard him sigh again before he slowly spun around to face her. "I just don't get how he could do that to my mom. I know and he knows she would go to the moon and back for him and this is what he does? I just don't get it." He raised his head to look at her and Gabriella noticed the pained expression immediately. "Is everything packed up? I wanna get out of here." When Gabriella nodded, Troy picked up two of the bags and headed for the door. "Put Bradin in the car first, hopefully he'll stay asleep."

Similar to when they arrived, Gabriella situated Bradin and Natalia in their car seats, placing a blanket over Bradin and giving Natalia her sippy cup. She leaned against the hood of the car while she waited for Troy to do a final check and make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. Just as Troy closed the door behind him, his father's familiar truck pulled up beside him. He briskly walked to his side of the car and opened his door when his father called his name.

He stopped and stood at his car. "What?" He turned to face Jack.

"Troy let's talk about this okay?"

"Talk about what dad? That you cheated on mom, that you're getting divorced, that you never want to talk to me because I didn't go pro?"

"I never said I didn't want to talk to you!"

Troy let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah you never said it, you never said anything! Mom supported me, why couldn't you?"

"Because I think you made a mistake alright? You had the talent Troy! You were perfectly capable to go all the way and you didn't! So many people wished to be in your position and you threw it away! You could have had everything."

"Well dad, I think your definition of everything and mine are very different. I have everything right now and I'm happy. You obviously aren't so why don't you just go back to your girlfriend? I know I'll be better off without you." He swiftly spun around and got in the car. "Mom I'll call you when we get to a hotel. I'm sorry but I'm not staying here with him." Lucille nodded, tears evident in her eyes.

Gabriella waited until they were out of the neighbourhood before speaking. "Jack looked really angry. I hope your mom is ok."

"I feel bad leaving her there but I just can't be around him. That is the last time I'm ever speaking to him. Nothing in this world will get me to speak to him again."

Gabriella looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry baby."

Troy simply shrugged. "I think I'll be better off without him. We all will."


	2. Voting Now Open!

[/]2010[/]04[/]29[/]zaangels-write-off-poll-5[/]

Voting is open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really really really like this one so please vote for me and keep reading and reviewing!!

Jane x


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